Credit: NYSERDA

“New York’s nation-leading efforts to generate reliable, renewable clean energy have reached a major milestone,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “South Fork Wind will power thousands of homes, create good-paying union jobs and demonstrate to all that offshore wind is a viable resource New York can harness for generations to come.”

This milestone came two weeks after the installation of New York’s first offshore wind turbine. When complete, South Fork Wind will generate approximately 130 MW of renewable energy, enough to power approximately 70,000 Long Island homes.

“Today marks a significant step towards implementing Gov. Hochul’s vision of a sustainable and resilient energy future for New York,” said Thomas Falcone, Long Island Power Authority CEO. “Nearly eight years in the making, this first offshore wind turbine producing energy transforms that vision into a reality. LIPA is proud to support this landmark project on behalf of our 1.2 million customers on Long Island and in the Rockaways.”

First approved by the LIPA Board of Trustees in 2017, South Fork Wind began construction in February 2022, starting with the onshore export cable system that links the project to the LIPA energy grid, which was completed earlier this year. The wind farm reached its “steel in the water” milestone in June 2023 with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation. Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines.

South Fork Wind includes the first U.S.-built offshore wind substation. More than 350 U.S. workers across three states supported construction of this offshore substation, a topside structure that collects the power produced by wind turbines and connects it to the grid. New York union workers supported its installation offshore.

Long Island-based contractor Haugland Energy Group installed the underground duct bank system for South Fork Wind’s onshore transmission line and led the construction of the project’s onshore interconnection facility. LS Cable installed and jointed the onshore cables with support from Long Island’s Elecnor Hawkeye.

The onshore cable scope of work alone created more than 100 union jobs for Long Island skilled trades workers. Roman Stone, also on Long Island, manufactured concrete mattresses to protect the undersea cables, and Ljungstrom, located in western New York, in partnership with Riggs Distler & Company, provided specialized structural steelwork.

Today’s announcement builds on the governor’s announcement earlier this month, in which New York plans to make the largest state investment in renewable energy in U.S. history. The conditional awards included three offshore wind and 22 land-based renewable energy projects totaling 6.4 GW of clean energy, enough to power 2.6 million New York homes and deliver approximately 12% of New York’s electricity needs once completed.

When coupled with two marquee offshore wind blade and nacelle manufacturing facilities, this portfolio of newly announced projects is expected to create approximately 8,300 family-sustaining jobs and spur $20 billion in economic development investments statewide, including developer-committed investments to support disadvantaged communities.

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An increasing problem, rain erosion damage compromises aerodynamic performance of the blade and at worst can lead to blade failure and expensive turbine downtime. The repairs offered by Rope Robotics not only restore turbine power output but are quick, cost-effective and efficient as well as safe for technicians to perform in all but the most inclement weather conditions. Previously, technicians have had to abseil from the nacelle to the blade and work with harmful chemicals, a high-risk work environment that is weather-dependent and costly.

“Rain erosion is an already serious and worsening issue with the longer rotor blades generating tip speeds of over 380 kilometres per hour. Rain drops at that speed act like a hail of bullets that, over time, damage the leading edge of the blade,” explains Martin Huus Bjerge, CEO, Rope Robotics.

Efficient leading-edge repair contributes to life extension of one of the most expensive components on a wind turbine accounting for some 25 to 30% of the build cost.

Rope Robotics’ “BR-8” robot can restore up to 3% energy output within less than one day per blade at half the cost of manual solutions. First on the market, Rope Robotics’ nine robots have been in commercial operation for 18 months and have repaired over 150 wind turbine blades in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Europe.

“Feedback from customers so far confirms our calculations that after six months, the investment in the robot repair service has paid off,” says Martin Huus Bjerge. “The robot has been well received especially in countries like the U.S. and South Africa where there has been a backlog of repairs. The robot is therefore an additional capacity to the market right now.”

Applying results from the onshore repairs in countries like Denmark, Sweden and Germany, test repairs on offshore turbines are in progress, in preparation for a commercial launch scheduled at the end of this year.

Before repair (left). After cleaning and sanding (middle). After final coating (right).

The core of the system is a robot carrying visual sensors, which operates repair tools using a flexible arm, with technicians monitoring the robot from any location, onsite or remotely.

On site, the 150-kg robot is first attached to ropes that have been anchored in the nacelle before it is hoisted some 100 meters from the ground onto the damaged blade, which has been fixed in a vertical position. A vacuum system allows the robot to attach itself firmly while motors enable movement across the blade. Using its onboard high-resolution camera and laser scanner, the robot inspects the surface, sending images to the remote operator, who diagnoses the damage and initiates the repair process in real time.

The three-phase repair process starts with sanding the damaged area, applying appropriate speed and force to create a pattern ensuring surface roughness and geometry. A second tool cleans the surface using a brush and alcohol to remove dirt and grease. The patented dosing tool applies the leading-edge protective (LEP) material while the spreader tool, also patented, rebuilds the optimal aerodynamic blade shape, smoothening the material to pre-defined standards.

Controlled remotely on-screen by a technician viewing live images, the robot performs each step with high precision and consistency, thus ensuring quality. All images are recorded and serve as documentation, a global requirement for wind turbine maintenance.

Awarded two patents covering the robot system, the method, the spreading tool and the dosing tool, the robot took five years to develop and was launched in 2021.

“Perhaps surprisingly, the biggest challenge was to develop a functioning spreader and dosing tool that can apply viscous material both accurately and flexibly to fit different blade types. There are so many variables to consider like temperature, humidity and fluid dynamics. Implementing that into a fully functioning robot that is now working on wind farms around the world was an arduous but fulfilling task,” concludes Martin Huus Bjerge.

After leading-edge damage has been established, typically by drones, the wind farm or service provider contracts Rope Robotics, who supplies the robot along with technician training and support on site. The robot has been proven in the field at wind speeds of up to 14 meter per second, relative humidity of up to 80% and temperatures from 32 to 104°F.

Using results from the over 150 blade repairs already performed worldwide, Rope Robotics is investing in AI to offer autonomous repairs in the future.

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The Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade for offshore was brought to market in only 10 months: launched in September 2021 and installed at RWE’s Kaskasi project in Germany in July 2022. The corresponding onshore solution is now ready for customers to employ at their onshore wind sites. Further development by Siemens Gamesa and partners ensure full compatibility with the product and process requirements for onshore blades.

“Launching our RecyclableBlade for onshore sites is another outstanding achievement from our dedicated professionals. The concept was always foreseen to encompass solutions for offshore and onshore, and we’re pleased to now provide them commercially to our customers in both market segments,” said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.

Both onshore and offshore markets around the world continue to set ambitious targets for installed wind power capacity, with the demands for ensuring recyclable solutions gaining more importance. Turbine sizes, and in turn their blades are growing rapidly, making it even more imperative to find solutions to ensuring their circularity. With the RecyclableBlade for onshore, Siemens Gamesa continues to put action behind its Sustainability Vision towards 2040 where a core target is fully recyclable wind turbines by 2040 at the latest.

“We are driving the wind industry towards full circularity with our commitment to make wind power as sustainable as it can be at every stage of its lifetime. Together with our customers and our suppliers, we want wind power solutions from Siemens Gamesa to continue to help countries around the world meet their net zero carbon emission goals,” said Tim Dawidowsky, Siemens Gamesa COO and Chief Sustainability Officer.

Prior to the launch of Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlade in 2021, blade recyclability was a tricky issue for the wind industry. The complex production process for blades, involving composite materials including resin, glass and carbon fibers, made disposal at the end of the wind turbine’s lifecycle challenging. While around 85% of a wind turbine can be fully recycled, regretfully many blades were sent to landfill upon decommissioning.

In addition to developing the world’s first fully recyclable blade, Siemens Gamesa is working with industry body WindEurope and other major industry players in calling for a Europe-wide ban on landfill for blades.

The RecyclableBlade recovery process uses a mild acidic solution to separate the materials at the end of the wind turbine’s lifetime. Those materials can then be recycled for use in other industrial applications like construction, consumer goods, or the automotive industry.

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